Hellllloooooo?

I have a funny story but I'm not gonna tell it for just me. If you've visited this blog would you say "hi , I was here"? I've been averaging about 1 comment. :( lame-o.

B-i-r-t-h-d-a-y !!!

We had a play day at Auntie Emily's house where we got to groom and ride horses, roast hot-dogs and marshmallows, eat watermelon, and even break a pinata! There were doggies to play with, and room to run! At one point we heard a terrible metallic banging, and discovered Taylor and Harley kicking and pounding the inside walls of the horse trailer. The little metal room reverberated like the inside of the Liberty Bell, and they thought it was hysterical. Forget Disneyland, these country kids like the farm!
Notice particularly the shot of Emily holding onto Sarah's leg. It is totally unconscious, her hanging on to her like that. It struck me as tender, that we instinctively grab and protect the things we love. I was watching Sarah carefully that day, as she was a little concerned about that 1200 lb animal and herself being so close together. She is not disturbed that she is being held onto, indeed, I know she felt a great deal of comfort in knowing she was clutched in Auntie Em's hand. They share a bond of trust, and I love that Sarah would go outside her comfort zone on the promise that Em would be right there. The parallels between ourselves and Heavenly Father are right there, don't you think?

Let the Good Times Roll...

Since there are too many sweet faces to get into one entry, here's more of the fun times we shared. I just kept thinking, "These kids are sooo lucky!! I'm so glad they will grow up with the memories of aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas laughing, playing, talking, helping, and watching over them." It's all about the relationships, isn't it? At the end of the day, or week, or year, or life! What a joyful satisfaction in savoring the days together and the love we shared. Even as summer ends and school life begins, let's not forget to nourish those friendships!

Multnomah Falls

"Be Fun!"

Danny and I just returned from BYU Education Week, and he is already making plans for next year. We had not been for, gosh, maybe 7 years, and decided we'd try it as a couple instead of a family of teenagers. I have to tell you that I missed the kids! There were many warm and fuzzy memories as we thought about those "good ole days". It was 101 one day, and thunder and lightening like crazy the next. We remembered how lightening struck so close to us one rain-storm day on our way back to the car after classes. We thought about making lunches at 5 am and sneaking out of Gretchen's friend's houses trying not to sound like a herd of elephants.
But, actually, the main idea behind my post tonight is that throughout our many classes over many days a recurring theme emerged. It was that we should be a happier people. With what we know, and the blessings we enjoy, we should be downright giddy with happiness. We should laugh more, have more giggles, enjoy appropriate humor, sing louder, play more uptempo songs, play games, and have the joy that "man is that he might have"...
Well, I've taken that to heart, and thought I'd post a couple of pictures from this summer that typify that feeling. We stopped at Multnomah Falls because it's ridiculous to drive past something that beautiful because you're in too big a hurry to be someplace else. The rest are from our Robinson Reunion crashing days in June. Brothers and sisters sharing a moment, Alice, Grace and Ada learning to hula from Ranie ( I did try, but it went to fast and I couldn't keep up with the instructions. I was back on "rotate your hips like this while keeping your knees bent and your heels up" and they were already pulling their fish from out of the sea), and one of Dad and Tom looking so handsome together. Anyway, one instructor at BYU said that you should not tell someone, "Have fun!" when they leave, but instead, "Be Fun!" I guess it's sort of like getting out of the meeting what you put into it, whether it's a meeting for instruction or for fun. We were reminded that almost the first thing President Monson did his first conference as Prophet was wiggle his ears! So in that spirit, when Amanda and Dad were teaching Harley how to hang a spoon off her nose (she did it!!) and she asked grammy to "do it", I DID! (Those who know me best know I have a very low tolerance for looking foolish) Here's to being happy!!

Family Home Evening at the Beach

I love sweet summer evenings at our little beach. It's rocky, it's kind of oldish, it sometimes even smells like low tide. And I think it's charming. I love to watch the grandkids throw rocks, pour sand in each other's hair, exchange shoes, 'only get their feet wet' right up to their armpits, and generally enjoy being outside.
Children, I adore all 9 of you. Spouses; I adore all of you. All 21 of our grandbabies, I love you with all my heart. I wish I had more of everything to share with all of you. Since time if finite, resources too, know that my prayers and love are not. I love you from here to the moon and back again.

Whether You Think You Need It or Not

It has taken me so long to find the pieces and apparatus to download my 200+ photos from my camera that now I only have patience for a short blog. Check back soon, because I now have lots of material from which to draw inspiration for blog posts!
While Zach and Debbie were here from Utah we decided to go see the ocean. It has been so long since I had been there that I forgot that Ocean Shores is miserable cold!!! This is just a tiny moment in that day that made me think as I watched it transpire.
Imagine the cold wind blowing it's icy fingers down a bitty neck, and hair being whipped around in watermelon slices. I think Taylor's lips were going blue, and her arms had goose bumps. While it's true that Taylor wasn't complaining, and may have happily endured the weather for the privilege of running around the beach, Auntie Amanda had a better plan for her warmth, health and ultimate happiness.
She rounded up an Elmo Sweatshirt and called Taylor to her. Taylor went willingly and let her put that shirt over her head. It didn't go easily, however, and there was a good deal of tugging and wiggling. All the while Taylor is in the dark, her arms flailing trying to maintain her balance. With a final insistent tug the sweatshirt goes over her head and there is daylight for Taylor once again. Her little arms require a small amount of coaxing into the sleeves, but it seems easy in contrast to the head opening.
One might think that would be sufficient, but Amanda also saw that her hair was still being tossed about her head and went to work fixing that problem. Still Taylor stood while her piggies were pulled straight and reworked. In the end she was warmer, able to see without hair being blown in her face, and able to eat without straining her food through her tresses. She was released and went on with her day.
I thought how trusting Taylor was that Auntie Amanda was going to be helping her somehow. While she was content with her lot, she knew that someone wiser would improve her situation. It required some tugging, some darkness, some loss of balance, and some delay in her own plans.
Are we as accepting when Heavenly Father says to us, "Come here, I can help you" ?